ORF has confirmed that more than 400 songs have been submitted for its upcoming national selection show, Vienna Calling – Wer singt für Österreich?, which will determine its entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 in Vienna.
A record number of entries
The broadcaster received an “overwhelming” response. Roughly two-thirds of the songs are in German or Austrian dialect, while the remainder are in English and other languages.
ORF’s Entertainment Director Alexander Hofer described the new format as “a celebration of Austria’s musical creativity,” adding that the goal is to present a diverse and high-quality field that reflects the entire country’s sound.
Alice Tumler as host
Alice Tumler has been confirmed as the host of Vienna Calling – Wer singt für Österreich?. She is best known to Eurovision fans as one of the four presenters of the Eurovision Song Contest 2015 in Vienna, alongside Arabella Kiesbauer, Mirjam Weichselbraun, and Conchita Wurst. Since then, Tumler has appeared in various Austrian television programmes and served as the red-carpet host for ORF’s coverage of the Life Ball 2019.
About the selection
A group of industry experts will now review all submitted songs. Among them is Cesar Sampson, who finished third for Austria at Eurovision 2018. Before the final, 24 acts will be chosen from the pool of more than 400 submissions to perform in live auditions. From these, the final 12 will advance to the televised show, with the winner being chosen through a combination of jury voting and public vote. The show will take place in Vienna, the host city of Eurovision 2026, following JJ’s win for Austria with “Wasted Love“ in Basel.
ORF Program Director Stefanie Groiss-Horowitz said:
“The Eurovision Song Contest 2026 in Vienna is the largest event to be held in Austria next year. Our stated goal is to involve and inspire the entire country. Now that the question of where the Eurovision Song Contest will take place has been clarified, it’s time to decide who will represent Austria. We want to make this decision together with our audience – everyone can have their say, and all artists can apply to participate starting now.”
The deadline for submitting entries ended on October 15, 2025.
Austria’s Eurovision Journey
In 1957, Austria made their debut in the Eurovision Song Contest, where Bob Martin represented the landlocked nation with the song “Wohin, kleines Pony?”. At the close of voting, it managed to place 10th overall. Since their debut, Austria has participated 56 times (being in the final 49 times), and has won the competition on two occasions in 1966 and 2014.
For 2025, JJ was internally selected to represent Austria with their song “Wasted Love”. In Basel, JJ qualified for the final, where he then went on to win the contest after receiving 436 points from the Juries and Televotes combined.
Who will be the successor of JJ? As always, please let us know what you think by getting involved in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Threads, tumblr, and Bluesky for more information about Eurovision 2026!
News source: ORF
Photo credit: Corinne Cumming/EBU
Euan T 
Rory Gannon